DAMIEN DUFF INJECTED some urgency into the discussion when he said football facilities are “light years” behind the GAA’s, but it has long been beyond doubt that Irish football needs a major investment in facilities and coaching.
To that end, the FAI have now unveiled their ammunition when it comes to asking for money: a report conducted alongside Uefa which values Irish football’s annual economic contribution to be €1.8 billion. It is based on 221,000 registered underage and amateur footballers, and does not include the professional game or recreational football.
€1.1 billion of that figure comes in the form of savings to the health service, with €303.8 million made in social benefit and a direct economic benefit of €355.2 million.
“We’ve been talking to government for 20 years and putting the case out there”, said FAI board member Packie Bonner, speaking at the launch of the report at Buswells Hotel.
“This gives us a numbers game, a scientific approach, to go back and say what it’s worth. It strengthens our case and it strengthens their case also for Minister Chambers going back to the government.”
Brexit means it is more important than ever for the FAI to bring their facilities up to scratch and expand their coaching network, with Irish football no longer able to outsource their best and brightest 16-year-olds to the UK.
Now they must wait until they are 18, with Irish football facilities far inferior to many of those available across the water. For instance, there are more full-time academy coaches in a single Category One academy in England than they are across the whole of Ireland.
Given Ireland’s elite player pool has shrunk since English academies have expanded to recruit players from across the world, Brexit has drawn sharp focus on a system that needed to be overhauled years ago.
Bonner even admitted so at the press conference launching the report, saying he discussed with Brian Kerr the need for the FAI to take more control of youth development in his former role as FAI Technical Director.
“I sat with Brian Kerr and said we cannot be reliant on what happens over in England. We have to put structure in place here”, said Bonner.
“We have probably been lucky so far that nothing has hampered that. Now, it is a paradigm shift because that rule has come in. We have to make sure we have something in place here to compensate. Our assessment of it is to get the job done right here to compensate.”
There is, however, some uncertainty as to whether the Brexit rule will remain in place for the long-term.
None present at the press conference were able to confirm when asked whether the FAI had sought a derogation to the rule, but the FAI subsequently clarified that they have corresponded with Fifa on the matter and are of the understanding that Fifa are looking into it as part of an ongoing review of the rules around player transfers.
When asked when they most recently corresponded with Fifa on the matter, the FAI were unable to provide an answer by time of publication.
With two of the 12 board members present at the press conference – Bonner and president Gerry McAnaney – talk did turn to Stephen Kenny’s position, though both kept shtum on the manager’s contract extension, emphasising it will be discussed at a board meeting at the end of this month.
There was a clear desire on Bonner’s part not to comment on Kenny’s position prior to said board meeting. Asked by one journalist whether he believed Kenny had done a good job, Bonner replied, “‘I’m not going to answer that because I know where you’re getting to. I think we have to discuss that at the review. I’m not even going to go there because I know what you’re getting at.”
Bonner has been appointed as chairman of the FAI’s international and high performance committee, and said he had no response to a Sunday Times story from June of this year which reported his ascension to that role increased the pressure on Stephen Kenny, stating Bonner was “sceptical” about Kenny’s abilities.
“I’ve not spoken to anyone in the Times, or any of you guys. That’s speculation. Anything that’s in the paper that people don’t come and speak to me directly about, I’ve no response to any of that.”
Bonner did say he was “encouraged” by the final games of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying campaign, and having earlier revealed he had met and spoken with Shane Duffy about his difficult time at Celtic – Bonner lives in Scotland – the legendary goalkeeper said he was pleased to see confidence restored to the more experienced players as the campaign wore on.
“It was a difficult time for all managers with Covid, absolutely. There is no question”, said Bonner. “I see it throughout Europe, it has been a very difficult time for the manager, dealing with the players and dealing with the staff. Dealing with all those issues, I understand that.
“Most managers have evolved through that period which was probably actually a good evolvement for them. They have had to think differently and Stephen is no different to anyone else.
“Of course we have seen the emergence of some young players but I also love the emergence of our older players in confidence and so on.It’s about getting that balance. It’s no different when you go back to Jack Charlton’s day. Ray Houghton was 24 years of age when Jack took over. I was 26 and had nine caps. I didn’t have 60 or 70 caps. We were all in that middle group in terms of age.
“We then had the emergence of Roy Keane, Niall Quinn, Steve Staunton. Those were the young players coming through.It’s about getting that balance, there will always be young players coming through. So it’s about the balance of them with the older guys and the older guys helping the younger lads.
“That is what I have enjoyed watching at the moment. If you look at the good results that they have had then the older group of players has helped the younger ones.
“The emergence of Gavin Bazunu is fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.”
The report is available to read here.
